Prince Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (autograph)

An original signature, "Alfred" being that of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of Saxe-Coburg Gotha (1844-1900), the second son of Queen Victoria. A brief summary of the life of the Prince is added below. This item was part of a large collection of letters and memorabilia relating to European Royalty purchased at Bonhams and Butterfields in Los Angeles in 2006.

Also included is an original copy of an Act of Parliament dated March 23 1866 providing for an annuity of 15000 pounds to be payable to Prince Alfred in view of his coming of age (good condition - single page, two sides of text)

Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ( Alfred Ernest Albert ; 6 August 1844 – 30 July 1900) was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family , the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . He was created Duke of Edinburgh , Earl of Kent and Earl of Ulster in the peerage of the United Kingdom on 24 May 1866. He succeeded his paternal uncle Ernst as the reigning Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in the German Empire on 23 August 1893.

Early life

Alfred was born at Windsor Castle . His mother was the reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria , the only daughter of Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld . His father was Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , the second son of Ernst I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha . As a son of the monarch, he was styled His Royal Highness The Prince Alfred at birth, and was second in the line of succession behind his elder brother, The Prince of Wales . He was known to his family as "Affie", because he was so affable.

Alfred was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury , William Howley , at the Private Chapel in Windsor Castle on 6 September 1844. His godparents were his maternal great-uncle, Prince George of Cambridge (represented by his father, the Duke of Cambridge ); his paternal aunt, the Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (represented by his maternal grandmother, the Duchess of Kent ); and Queen Victoria's half-brother, Carl, Prince of Leiningen (represented by The Duke of Wellington , Conservative Leader in the Lords ).

In 1856 it was decided that Prince Alfred, in accordance with his own wishes, should enter the Royal Navy . A separate establishment was accordingly assigned to him, with Lieutenant Sowell, R. E. , as governor . He passed the examination for midshipman in August 1858, and was appointed to HMS Euryalus . In July 1860, while in this ship, he paid an official visit to the Cape Colony , and made a very favourable impression both on the colonials and on the native chiefs. On the abdication of King Otto of Greece , in 1862, Prince Alfred was chosen to succeed him , but the British government blocked plans for him to ascend the Greek throne.

Prince Alfred, therefore, remained in the navy, and was promoted lieutenant on 24 February 1863, serving under Count Gleichen on HMS Racoon , and captain on 23 February 1866, being then appointed to the command of the frigate HMS Galatea .

Second-in-line to the British throne

Alfred remained second-in-line to the British throne from his birth until 8 January 1864. His older brother Edward and his wife Alexandra of De...

Items in the Worthopedia are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.